Whether your clients play a musical instrument in your school band, as a weekend hobby, or as a professional, you may be at risk for a common skin condition. Contact dermatitis is characterized by a rash that can occur anywhere on the body (typically the hands and face in musicians) and is caused by something that comes into contact with the skin, which makes the skin become red, scaly and inflamed. Contact dermatitis can be caused by an irritant or an allergy. While metals, skin care products and cosmetics are common culprits for allergic contact dermatitis, musical instruments pose a potential hazard due to some of the components of the instruments that come into contact with the skin.

Hazard by instrument

Brass instruments (flute, trombone, trumpet, tuba)

•Metals found in the instruments, such as nickel, cobalt, palladium, silver and gold, can cause contact dermatitis.

•Lip swelling can result from the pressure of forcing air through instrument mouthpieces.

•Infections of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA and non-MRSA) and herpes simplex virus can spread through the sharing of mouthpieces.

•Human papillomavirus (HPV) and Hepatitis A, B, and C also can be spread if instruments are not cleaned properly.

•Lip swelling, infections and the spread of viruses (as described above) also can occur from playing these instruments. String Instruments (cellos, violas, violins)

•The composition of these instruments and products used with these instruments may contain allergens that can cause contact dermatitis in musicians: chromium, exotic woods, nickel, paraphenylenediamine (staining agent for woods), propolis (bee glue), a component of Italian varnishes used in all Stradivarius violins and rosin.

Treating contact dermatitis

To determine whether the contact dermatitis is due to an irritant or an allergy, it is important for musicians to see a dermatologist for proper evaluation and treatment.

Whether the dermatitis is caused by an irritant or an allergy, Fransway recommends refraining from playing the instrument while the skin heals. A dermatologist can perform patch testing to identify the cause of the dermatitis. Once the cause is known, the dermatologist can help the musician determine what changes should be made in order to return to playing the instrument.

Topical corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors, such as tacrolimus or pimecrolimus, can allow the dermatitis to heal.

Change is good

If the musician has irritant contact dermatitis caused by friction or pressure, modifying the area of contact with the instrument – such as wearing protective gloves – may help improve the condition.

If allergic contact dermatitis is the culprit, substituting the component of the instrument causing an allergic reaction with another material is recommended. For example, mouthpieces and guitar strings are available in different compositions.

Fransway cautioned that if a change is not made, the dermatitis will recur more rapidly with each exposure.

Monday, March 26, 2012

"Together we can represent the past, present and future of black women everywhere!"

~My Black Is Beautiful~

Celebrate Your Beauty

Procter & Gamble's commitment to connecting with and celebrating African-American women is stronger today than ever before. That commitment has spanned more than a century and continues to grow. It's rooted in the vision and actions of our leadership and in the interests of our consumers and employees.

Calling All Phenomenal Women

Congratulations to these six beautiful ladies Tiana G., Keisha H., Dominique W., (From Left to Right]: Tiffiny D., Yvette C. and Sandra W., who were chosen to represent My Black Is Beautiful. All six are the finalists from our 2010 LIVE! Model Search in Atlanta, Houston and New York City and represent the diverse collective beauty of African-American women and will be featured on various platforms throughout our site.

Our extraordinary initiative, My Black Is Beautiful, celebrates the diverse collective beauty of African-American women and nurtures black self-esteem. The movement encourages black women to define and promote our own beauty standard — one that is an authentic reflection of our indomitable spirit.

Recognizing that beauty and self-confidence are intrinsically linked, My Black Is Beautiful Is designed to ignite black pride and to support a sustained national conversation by, for and about black women — the way we are reflected in popular culture and how we serve as the catalyst for a movement that effects positive change.

And because My Black Is Beautiful celebrates the beauty and voice of all African-American women, we invite you to share your own inspiring story to be a part of the My Black Is Beautiful Mosaic on Facebook®.

Friday, March 16, 2012

FROM a marketing perspective, there’s something alluring about being a beauty “outsider.” Just ask Allison Slater, the vice president for retail marketing at Sephora, about the new anti-aging skin care line Algenist — featuring a star ingredient, alguronic acid, that scientists in San Francisco say they stumbled upon while researching microalgae.

Retailing for $65 to $95, Algenist moisturizers, serum and eye balm are already available at Sephora.com and will go on sale in the company’s stores this week. “When we saw it, we thought it was so unique, such innovation, something our clients could really understand,” Mrs. Slater said of the line. “The whole story about this being an unexpected discovery.”

Mrs. Slater added that it made sense to her that alguronic acid (a compound that protects microalgae cells, according to Algenist’s maker, Solazyme) could also protect middle-aged faces from environmental assault. “Think about how algae can live anywhere, live in the coldest of places, or the harshest of places, and think about translating that to skin care,” she said.

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Heidi Schumann for The New York Times

Solazyme executives, from left, Jonathan

Wolfson, Frederic Stoeckel and Harrison

F Dillon with algae samples.

﻿Dermatologists might not wholeheartedly share Sephora’s enthusiasm. But a surprising story about a product’s genesis can be just as important for generating sales as the product’s demonstrable efficacy. Consider Crème de la Mer, which, like Algenist, contains sea matter, and also involves an enterprising scientist: an aerospace physicist trying to heal scars he suffered in a lab accident.

“It’s a slightly different story,” said Nica Lewis, the head consultant of beauty innovation at Mintel, a market research firm. “But it’s still ‘brainy scientist comes up with cosmetic product.’ ”

According to Jonathan Wolfson, the chief executive of Solazyme, the alternative-energy company that makes Algenist, the product came about after a fortuitous suggestion roughly six years ago by Arthur Grossman, a microalgae expert who’s now an adviser to the brand. At first, Solazyme executives had a good chuckle about the idea of getting into skin care, Mr. Wolfson said. “I really never thought I’d be standing in a store like this,” he told a gathering of reporters during a preview at Sephora Fifth Avenue, amid shiny display cases of primer and volumizing mascara.

It may seem novel for a nonbeauty company to get into skin care, but these days, it really isn’t, Mrs. Lewis said. “There are ingredient suppliers that provide ingredients to health care, food and drink industries, and cosmetic companies,” she said. In Japan, “food and health care companies have found cosmetic applications for their ingredients, so they are creating skin care brands.”

For example, Frutarom, a flavor-ingredient house based in Israel, makes Alguard, a purified polysaccharide shield from a red microalgae that it says protects skin from daily assaults and reduces roughness as well as the look of fine lines.

William P. O'Donnell/The New York Times

﻿There are more than 100 algae-derived ingredients used in cosmetics worldwide, Mrs. Lewis said. The patent-pending alguronic acid in Algenist is a “single, purified, highly bioactive compound,” said Tony Day, the vice president for research and development at Solazyme, and therefore delivers “much higher activity to the skin” than products using only a microalgae extract.

Studies conducted by an independent lab and commissioned by Algenist, none of which have been published in a peer-reviewed journal, showed alguronic acid increased cell regeneration and the synthesis of elastin (which gives skin that snap-back youthful quality). This testing also demonstrated that alguronic acid provided protection against cell damage induced by ultraviolet rays, and inhibited the enzymes that break down elastin.

After reviewing press materials and Solazyme’s 84-page patent application, Dr. David McDaniel, a dermatologist and the director of the Institute of Anti-Aging Research in Virginia Beach, Va., said he was impressed by the in-vitro testing of alguronic acid. “In the petri dish, their data seems to show some substantial benefits to their active ingredient,” he said. But he cautioned that in-vitro testing does not demonstrate how a final formulation works off the shelf.

Dr. Dana Sachs, an associate professor of dermatology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, wrote in an e-mail after looking at Algenist’s dossier that “the claims on cell regeneration and elastin synthesis are based on in vitro models, which is hard to extrapolate to in vivo, and again no statistical significance is presented, so this is a weak claim.”

Dr. Day, who has a doctorate in biochemistry, said that statistical significance was found but not included in press materials. And, according to the company, a study of 30 women showed that after 10 days of using the Algenist serum, they had a 25 percent decrease in wrinkles as shown by silicone replicas of their faces.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Skincare Company Will Provide Team and Fans with Essential Skincare Products, Tips and Sun Protection Advice, Demonstrating Commitment to a Healthy Lifestyle, Both Internally and Externally

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Murad, Inc., the innovative skincare line synonymous with high-performance, science-based, topical and internal skincare products, announced today that they have been named the Official Skincare Partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the 2012 baseball season. Murad® will be providing skincare tips and sun protection advice along with product for the legendary baseball team’s players and fans with special giveaways and promotions during all daytime home games throughout the 2012 regular season.

.Through this partnership, Murad will also provide the club’s fans and team members with important information on preventing sun damage, rooted in Murad founder Howard Murad, M.D., FAAD’s three-pronged, Inclusive Health® approach – topical, internal and emotional care, which all play an important part in skin health. Dr. Murad’s Inclusive Health philosophy works to improve cellular health, which ultimately yields better sun protection through a stronger barrier function and healthier cells.

“As an avid Dodger fan, it is a privilege to partner with this legendary baseball team to provide education on ways to protect against sun damage, and the importance of health and wellness, both internally and externally,” said Dr. Murad. “Many people view skincare as simply cosmetic. My hope is that through this partnership, we will be able to further change the way people view skincare, helping fans to realize that your skin really is an overall reflection of the state of your health and that sun protection is an essential component of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”

Murad has also been named the presenting sponsor of the Mother’s Day home game on May 13, 2012. During this game, Murad and the Los Angeles Dodgers will be giving away tote bags with a special Murad offer to the first 20,000 fans. For the third year in a row, Murad is partnering with the Dodgers to provide skin care and sun protection products to the franchise and its fans.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

MAC Chenman Love and Water Collection. East meets West. A sensual colour collection created in collaboration with Beijing-born fashion photographer, Chen Man, inspired by her infatuation with love and water, yin and yang, pink and blue. Come and see me...

Director of Makeup Artistry Terry Barber describes his inspiration for the collaboration with Chen Man -- from their mutual love of the power of transformation to how colours can be used to tell a story -- on the M•A•C Chenman shoot.